A parable:
A while back, we took our first family vacation to Disney world and Universal Studios in Florida. The kids were over the top excited. They could hardly wait. They knew they each had an allotment of spending money, and when it was gone, it was gone.
They were very much into Harry Potter, and for months, all they could talk about was getting a wand at Harry Potter world. That was the only thing they wanted from the whole trip – that beautiful, magical wand. They imagined, planned, talked, and dreamed about holding that amazing wand in their hands.
The time finally came for the trip. The schedule was this: three days in Disney world, then the last day at Harry Potter world (aka, wand nirvana!).
If you’ve ever been to any Disney park, you well know how each ride ‘conveniently’ exits right into the gift shop, where you are suddenly inundated with every souvenir you could possibly imagine that matched exactly the great ride you had just experienced. Our children’s amazement was no match for the bright lights and flashy toys. Instantly upon exiting each ride, the pleas started.
“Mom, I want to get this light saber”
“really?? I thought you were going to save your money for the wand. And you already have THREE light sabers at home.”
“Not like THIS one! I have to get it! I’ll still have money left for the wand. Please can I get it??”
… and so went the cries. After every single ride.
At one point, I kneeled down in front of one of the children, trying to come between him and the toy that was calling his name. I put my hands gently on his shoulders, looked into his eyes, and said, “I know and you know that you want the wand. It’s all you have talked about. If you spend your money now, you won’t be able to get that wand. You will be so sad. I don’t want you to be sad. Please don’t spend your money.”
Convinced that what lay before him at the present time was going to bring him so much more joy than what was waiting in the future, he reasoned why this toy he had in his hands now would be so much more fun than the wand that lay in the distant future. He took out his money and bought it.
The days passed, the new toys quickly got old and lost their luster. We started our final day – the grand finale… in Harry Potter world. The kids eagerly sought out the wand stop. Much to their disappointment, they did not have enough money to buy the wand. They had all squandered their money on other toys that seemed fun at the time. When they laid eyes on the wand, however, they realized that this, indeed, was what their hearts truly had wanted all along. But their choices had led them down a path where they could no longer afford it.
They begged. They pleaded. They bargained. My mother heart broke. I so wanted to go back on our agreement and get them the wand anyway. But what lesson would I be teaching them? We had made a deal together, and set up rules and guidelines, to which they had eagerly agreed. I had to stay consistent to the lesson and plan. I knew they had made choices that were not in harmony with their true desires, and now they had to be held accountable to those choices.
What had promised to be a fantastic ending to a dream vacation, instead turned into a day of regret and remorse as they realized all too late that they had squandered their valuable dollars on the flashy here and now and let go of their longer vision.
I have thought back on this experience many times. Are there things in my life that I plan for, ache for, and dream for? Are the actions I am taking today consistent with helping me achieve those goals, or am I squandering my most valuable asset–my time– on things that I know will not bring me my true hearts desire? It’s easy to get lost in the day to day muck. I need to constantly remind myself that there is such a greater goal out there – that of eternal life, and being together with my husband and children forever. Every now and then I need to stop, step back, and really listen to see if God is kneeling in front of me, gently reminding me that I am looking at something in the here and now that will not get me to the true-long-term happiness that I so desire with my family.
Course corrections are never easy, but they are oh so vital to help us reach our ultimate destinations.
